40 Groups

What 40 Groups does

40 Groups, Inc. is a private membership organization that operates peer advisory forums and leadership retreats for C-suite executives of U.S. credit unions and community banks. Founded by Dennis Sullivan, MBA, and headquartered in Bel Air, Maryland, the company curates confidential, small-group retreats held two to three times annually at luxury resort destinations, featuring world-class keynote speakers, facilitated peer discussions, and benchmarking sessions. Membership is restricted to CEOs, CFOs, and Board Chairs of financial institutions with at least $500 million in assets, ensuring non-competing peer cohorts segmented by asset size.

The company's core products are organized by executive role: the CEO 40 Group (credit union CEOs), CFO 40 Group, Chair 40 Group, and a parallel CEO 40 Group for Community Banks. The company also administers the Renée Sattiewhite Neoteric Changemaker Award in partnership with the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC). 40 Groups does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its intellectual property is its facilitation methodology, speaker network, and the curated peer relationships that compound across retreat cycles. Sponsorship partners include Nymbus, Earnest Consulting Group, SRM, and OptimaFI.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual subscription-based membership fees that include all-inclusive retreat registration, plus event sponsorship income from credit union service providers. The go-to-market model is referral-driven and selective, leveraging founder Dennis Sullivan's two-decade chairmanship of the CU Leadership Convention and partnerships with industry associations such as AACUC to source qualified executive members. The company is privately held, founder-owned, and bootstrapped, with no external institutional investment disclosed.

Name

40 Groups

Legal name

40 Groups, Inc.

Website

https://40groups.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

40 Groups operates private, invitation-based peer advisory forums and luxury resort retreats for C-suite executives (CEOs, CFOs, Board Chairs) of U.S. credit unions and community banks with $500M+ in assets. Membership is subscription-based and selectively curated around confidential peer exchange and thought leader access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Peer Advisory Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD)

Keywords

• Executive peer advisory
• Leadership retreat forums
• Credit union executives
• Community bank CEOs
• C-suite peer groups

Headquarters

HQ city

Bel Air

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Executive Membership Program: 40 Groups generates revenue through membership fees for its executive peer advisory groups. Membership includes access to multiple retreats over a 12-month period, with all-inclusive registration to three CEO 40 Group meetings, private small-group meetings with peers, access to speakers and roundtable discussions, networking receptions, member research data and analytics, and discounted resort rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

40 Groups operates invitation-based private leadership forums that convene small cohorts of approximately 40 C-suite executives from credit unions and community banks for in-person retreat-style peer discussions. Members pay annual dues to participate in structured gatherings held at resorts, where they engage in facilitated, confidential conversations on industry challenges, strategy, and leadership. The company delivers separate forums for Credit Union CEOs, CFOs, Board Chairs, and Community Bank CEOs.

Product overview

40 Groups operates as a private membership community of executive leaders, primarily serving credit unions and community banks. The company offers a portfolio of peer advisory groups segmented by executive role: CEO 40 Group, CFO 40 Group, and Chair 40 Group for credit unions, plus a separate CEO 40 Group for Community Banks. Each group provides all-inclusive registration to multi-day, resort-style retreats held 2-3 times annually, featuring world-class thought leaders, facilitated peer discussions, roundtable sessions on industry challenges, and exclusive benchmarking data. The company also administers the Renée Sattiewhite Neoteric Changemaker Award in partnership with AACUC. All offerings center on confidential peer exchange, leadership development, and strategic planning in intimate group settings at top-tier resort destinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEO 40 Group (Credit Unions) An invitation-based peer advisory forum that brings together approximately 40 credit union CEOs for facilitated, confidential retreats at resort venues, focused on strategic and leadership issues specific to the credit union industry.
• CFO 40 Group (Credit Unions) A peer forum for credit union CFOs that convenes small cohorts of senior financial leaders at retreats to discuss financial strategy, asset-liability management, regulatory pressures, and other CFO-specific challenges.
• Chair 40 Group (Credit Unions) A peer advisory forum for credit union board chairs that uses the retreat format to support board governance, succession, CEO oversight, and strategic direction discussions among a curated group of approximately 40 chairs.
• CEO 40 Group (Community Banks) A peer advisory forum for community bank CEOs that adapts the 40 Groups retreat model to the regulatory, competitive, and community-focused realities of community banking, convening roughly 40 CEOs for facilitated discussion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Executives leave with actionable strategies and practical action plans to implement at their organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 202640 Groups and AACUC have partnered to present the annual Renée Sattiewhite Neoteric Changemaker Award. This national award recognizes leaders advancing innovation, equity, and impact in the credit union movement. The award recipient is announced at the AACUC Annual Conference.
• NymbusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNymbus provides a cloud-based platform for credit unions and sponsors CEO 40 Group events. Their platform supports both brick-and-mortar operations and digital-first financial institutions.
• Earnest Consulting GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEarnest Consulting Group partners with boards and senior management to develop executive compensation strategies and sponsors CEO 40 Group events.
• SRM (Strategic Resource Management)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSRM delivers payments, sourcing, strategy, merger and technology services for credit unions. Has partnered on strategic initiatives with 1,000+ clients and returned more than $10 billion in value. Sponsors CEO 40 Group events.
• OptimaFIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOptimaFI provides practical, data-driven solutions for community institutions and sponsors CFO 40 Group events. Offers growth strategy, credit risk oversight, and balance sheet analytics.
• Grasshopper BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Davis, Chief Facilitator for 40 Groups, is also a preferred consultant within Grasshopper Bank's fintech ecosystem, advising early- and growth-stage fintechs on positioning, regulatory alignment, and sustainable commercialization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): YPO operates confidential peer forums and leadership networks for top executives globally. While broader than 40 Groups, its chapter-based peer group structure mirrors the small-group facilitation model and validates the market for peer advisory at the executive level.
• EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization): EO runs peer-learning forums, retreats, and events for founder/CEOs in member-led groups. The peer group and forum methodology parallels 40 Groups' executive retreat model, even though EO targets a different buyer profile.
• CUNA (Credit Union National Association): CUNA is the largest U.S. credit union trade association offering conferences, advocacy, and leadership development. It intersects with 40 Groups through credit-union executive education and could compete at the leadership-development layer.

Direct peers

• Vistage Worldwide: Vistage is the largest CEO peer-advisory membership organization in the U.S. and most direct competitor: small-group facilitated peer forums for C-suite executives with annual membership and recurring meetings, very similar operating model to 40 Groups but with a much broader industry mix.
• CUES (Credit Union Executives Society): CUES is the leading professional development and peer networking organization for credit union executives, offering events, leadership programs, and member communities. It targets the same credit-union C-suite audience as 40 Groups and represents the closest incumbent analog.
• Cornerstone Credit Union League: Cornerstone is a regional credit union trade association providing executive education, conferences, and peer networking. It overlaps in audience with 40 Groups and competes for credit union executive mindshare across events and programming.
• Bank Director: Bank Director provides peer events, leadership content, and board/executive programs specifically for community and mid-size bank leadership. It overlaps with 40 Groups' bank CEO offering and serves a closely analogous community-bank executive audience.
• The Alternative Board (TAB): TAB facilitates monthly peer advisory boards for SME owners and executives. It shares the small-group, facilitated peer-advisory DNA with 40 Groups, although its member base is broader and its meetings less resort-driven.
• Strategic Coach: Strategic Coach runs structured peer-group coaching for entrepreneurs and executives with quarterly workshops. Its small-group coaching/peer model directly parallels the 40 Groups retreat format, even though its positioning is coaching-led rather than peer-led.

Emerging players

• Filene Research Institute: Filene is a credit-union-focused think tank that convenes executives through research, benchmarking, and events. It addresses similar executives as 40 Groups and could evolve into a competing peer-forum proposition in the credit union space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 40 Groups